Bean Burgers and Homemade Buns

Although Spring is already in full swing here in Budapest, last Sunday the sun took a day off and we had to deal with a very cloudy day and rain showers from time to time. So, we decided to spend a day at home, and take the opportunity to try out something new in the kitchen.

We opted to make homemade bean burgers for dinner and since we were spending the day inside anyway, we thought of making our own burger buns. I think it was an awesome idea because the result was amazing! 🙂

Here is what you need and a step by step guide to make your own burger buns.

Ingredients: (makes 8 buns)

7g instant yeast (1 packet)

435g plain flour

235g warm water

1 large egg

40g butter, melted

2 tbsp white sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp milk

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Method:

In a large bowl, mix together the yeast, warm water and 60g of flour. Let it sit for 15 minutes, until the yeast is activated and the mixture becomes foamy.

Stir in the sugar, salt, egg and melted butter. Add the remaining 375g of flour and knead, either with a dough hook or with your hands, until smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a ball and lightly cover with vegetable oil. Place it in a bowl which is also covered in oil. Set it aside for about 2 hours to prove.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces and form a ball tucking the ends underneath. Place on a baking paper into a baking dish, leaving an inch in between. Let them prove again for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly brush the buns with some milk and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Place them on a rack to cool completely.

For the burger, I used adzuki beans. However, these can be substituted with black beans or red kidney beans, depending on your preference/availability. Adzuki beans are smaller in size than black/red kidney beans so you have to adjust the amount of beans in order to have a good balance in texture between the beans and the sweet potatoes. You may also wish to roughly mash the beans in order to blend more with the sweet potatoes.

Ingredients: (makes 8 patties)

250g adzuki beans, cooked

300g sweet potatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp paprika

1 chili pepper

2 tbsp all purpose flour

2-4 tbsp breadcrumbs

Method:

Boil and mash the sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the beans, if you are using dried ones. You can also use canned beans.

Mix all ingredients together and adjust seasoning according to your taste.

Form the patties, using more breadcrumbs on your hands if necessary.

Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (or until firm).

I served my burger with sweet potato fries and a yoghurt-sriracha sauce. I think this was one of the best bean burgers I have ever made 🙂

If you do have any left over buns, you can freeze them immediately once they are cool. But I do not have experience with this as I used my leftovers the next day for lunch. Any extra patties can also be frozen before they are baked for later use.